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Chinese Orange Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in an authentic orange sauce. The ultimate Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe which is way better than take-out.
My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food. They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what’s in it….especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with all-natural ingredients. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It’s definitely a win-win in our home.
It is wintertime in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.
This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.
How to make Chinese Orange Chicken at home:
- Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. Cut into bite-size pieces. Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
- To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Toss fried chicken with the sweet orange sauce. Top with grated orange zest and green onions. Serve immediately.
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Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 Eggs whisked
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch
- 1/3 cup Flour
- Salt
- Oil for frying
Orange Chicken Sauce:
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
- 1/4 teaspoon Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- Orange Zest from 1 orange
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Garnish:
- Green Onions
- Orange Zest
Instructions
- To make orange sauce:
- In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
- To make chicken:
- Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
- Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
- Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
- Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
- Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Orange Chicken is going to make you forget take-out. Let me know how it turns out by reaching out on instagram at @modern_honey. Have a great night, my friends!
very good food
I’ve made this recipe twice. BUT, tonight I did a spin on it. Instead of using orange, I used pineapple juice and fresh pineapple. My son just came back from Hawaii and brought me home fresh pineapple. I just had to do it! 😂. It was amazing!!!
Wow Carol that sounds amazing! Thank you so much for using my recipe!
I MADE THIS LAST NIGHT AND THERE IS A GOOD REASON FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEWS!!!
Crispy chicken, delicious, spicy tangy/sweet orange sauce, totally excellent!!
Thank god for people like you !!
Happy mothers day!!!
Thank you so much for using my recipe! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Used thighs, made sure oil temp was up to temp, even cooked longer but did not come out crispy, even before the sauce. Sauce was excellent and will make again, but love crispy chicken and need to figure that part out. Thanks
HELL TO THE YEA!
I made it too and it was really good
Hi Melissa. Your recipe caught my eye. It all sounds perfect and I am going to try it tomorrow. I have a question about the red chili flakes. I was not able to find in Sarasota. FL. Can I substitute red chili powder? If I can, how much would you suggest. Thanks, Peter.
Yes, you can substitute chili powder. I recommend using the same amount, 1/2 tsp. You can always add more if you want a little more kick!
Thank you Melissa. I plan to make the dish this afternoon for our dinner treat.
Nearly PERFECT! The sauce was amazing and I wouldn’t change a thing with that component. I like the chicken pieces a little more crunchy. That being said, the flavor and tenderness of the chicken was perfect. I fried the chicken exactly how it was described and it was light and flavorful. I don’t know what I would change to keep the chicken crunchy but after you tossed it with the sauce it held up but wasn’t crunchy at all. Any suggestions would be appreciated but I would definitely make this again.
I made this the other night for my adult kids and it was amazing!!! My daughter’s boyfriend is Korean and he said that he’s never had orange chicken that actually had a bold orange flavor. I had to double the batch which of course meant more work for me but it was worth it! Now they want me to make it again and I said yes but you are all helping!! 😂😂.
I love this recipe and family really enjoyed it. I think this is the first recipe I have tried to make that turned out amazing the first try. I used boneless, skinless chicken thigh though. This allowed me to be able to cook the chicken longer and achieve that crunchy texture and golden color, even after tossing it with the sauce it still had that crunch. I served it with some fried rice and it was awesome. Will be making it again at my family’s request.
I love that you used chicken thighs, that is such a great idea! Thank you so much for using my recipe.